(1) Field of the Invention
This invention is concerned with shoe upper conforming machines, more especially machines for performing a combined toe and side lasting operation on shoe uppers. The term "shoe" is used herein generically as indicating outer footwear generally, and as including an article of outer footwear in the course of its manufacture.
(2) Prior Art
One machine for performing a combined tow and side lasting operation on shoe uppers is commercially available, said machine comprising a last support, for supporting, bottom facing down, a last on which a shoe upper and insole are assembled, a plurality of grippers arranged about the last support for gripping marginal portions of an upper and tensioning it about its last, toe end lasting means, comprising wiper plates by which lasting marginal portions of the toe region of the upper can be wiped over and pressed against corresponding marginal portions of the insole, two side lasting assemblies by which lasting marginal portions of the opposite side regions of the upper can be wiped over and pressed against corresponding marginal portions of the insole, and adhesive applying means movable relative to the shoe bottom whereby to cause the adhesive to be applied progressively between the lasting marginal portions of the upper and corresponding marginal portions of the insole, prior to such portions being wiped over and pressed as aforesaid.
In said machine, the last support and grippers are arranged at a central so-called pulling over station to which alternately each of two toe end lasting means is movable, the arrangement being such that the toe end means at the pulling over station is caused to operate to move the wiper plates to an "interrupt" position, in which leading marginal portions thereof engage and clamp marginal portions of the upper against corresponding marginal portions of the insole, in the region of the periphery of the insole only, the grippers being caused to release the upper as it is so clamped, and also the last support moving out of engagement with the shoe bottom. The toe end lasting means, with the shoe now held against the wiper plates, is then moved out of the pulling over station (the other toe end lasting means being moved thereto) and the shoe held thereby is then presented to the side lasting assemblies (which, in the machine in question, are movable widthwise of the machine at the rear thereof), the toe end lasting means being capable of swinging about an axis extending widthwise of the machine to carry the shoe through an arc so that it is presented, bottom uppermost, to the side lasting instrumentalities. In this position, adhesive is applied by the adhesive applying means, which comprises two sets of nozzles, each set comprising two nozzles. A first set are utilized for applying adhesive from the joint region heelwardly towards the heel breast line, while the other set apply adhesive toewardly from the joint region to the toe. Thereafter, the side lasting assemblies are caused to last the opposite side regions of the upper and there after the toe end lasting means is effective to cause the inwiping movement of the wiper plates to continue, whereby the toe end of the shoe is lasted.
Using such a machine, the shoe-making quality obtained is generally regarded as good, but it will be appreciated that such a machine is necessarily of large dimensions; further, its construction is complicated, and thus expensive, not least because of the need to move the two toe end lasting mens bodily not only widthwise of the machine but about the axis extending widthwise of the machine.
It is the object of the present invention to provide an improved machine for performing a combined toe and side lasting operation on shoe uppers, which machine is more compact than the previous machine and cheaper to produce, while retaining the shoe-making qualities achieved using the earlier machine.